The game featured a
team advertised as built
for the playoffs against
a team marginalized as
being unable to fathom
the playoffs.

Gimme for the rich
boys right?

Think again.

The Calgary Flames
staged a gritty
performance on Thursday
night coming from behind
to beat the Maple Leafs
by a 4-3 final in front
of a sold out Saddledome
crowd.

The game was billed
as the Maple Leafs first
chance to walk out some
of their recent
acquisitions, a plan
that was foiled both on
the scoreboard and in
the infirmary. Doug
Gilmour brought in from
Montreal on Tuesday left
midway through the
second period when he fell
after colliding with
Dave Lowry at center
ice.

The contest was also
an opportunity for some
new Flames to take to
the ice - that is an
opportunity for Shean
Donovan as Dean McAmmond
was prohibited from
playing by the NHL due
to a waive rdraft rule
mix up on the trade
consumated on Tuesday.

The Flames jumped on
the Leafs early, holding
a large margin of play
after Bryan McCabe
opened the scoring for
the visitors.

By period's end the
Flames held a 12-3 edge
in shots on goal, and a
1-1 tie on the strength
of a powerplay goal by
former captain Dave
Lowry.

The
Flames continued to
carry the territorial
play in teh second
period but fell behind
by a score of 2-1 when
Nick Antropop took
advantage of some sloppy
Calgary powerplay work
to beat Turek high over
the shoulder.

The
game continued its rough
and ready appeal in the
second frame when Denis
Gauthier caught former
Flame Wade Belak unaware
and leveled the giant to
the ice. For the second
time this week a
Gauthier big hit led to
a melee when Belak
chased Gauthier down the
ice before eking out a
decision in a fight.

2003
Draft Watch

If
the draft was held
today ...

Pick

Team

Player*

1

Atlanta

M.-A.
Fleury

2

Buffalo

Milan
Michalek

3

Carolina

Nikolai
Zherdev

4

Columbus

Nathan
Horton

5

Pittsburgh

Braydon
Coburn

6

San
Jose

Eric
Staal

7

Calgary

Andrei
Kastsitsyn

*ranking:
Red
Line 2/26/03

Later
in the period Calgary
native Bryan McCabe
lowered the boom on a
puck fishing Blake Sloan
to make the highlight
reel hit count hit four
on the night, roughly
two to three times the
normal count for the
average hockey game.

Failed
opportunities and a
dogged Calgary powerplay
kept the home side down
a goal heading into the
third period.

And
what a third period it
was ...

The
Flames tied the score with
just under six minutes
remaining when Craig Conroy
took a pass and went in
alone, beating Kidd with a
back hand.

The
Leafs went ahead again 30
seconds later when Tie Domi
jumped on the most lonely
loose puck known to hockey
to make the score 3-2
Toronto.

Just
over a minute after that the
Flames were back when Jarome
Iginla casually walked out
of the corner and wristed
his 31st past Kidd to tie it
again at three.

Finally
in overtime, the Flames won
it when Chris Clark took a
pass from childhood chum
Chris Drury and beat Kidd to
net the Flames a win.

The
loss gives the Leafs just
one win in their last six
games. Bottom line, no
matter how many players the
team managed to add to their
roster they simply won't go
anywhere in the playoffs
when they allow a team like
Calgary to out shoot them
36-18 on the road. Give a
team like Philadelphia that
margin of play and they'll
get buried.

The
Flames are on an opposite
run, winning five of their
last six games to climb past
San Jose and into 13th place
in the was, a fact likely
noticed by ex-Shark and
current Flame coach Darryl
Sutter.

Get
Your
Calgarypuck
Gear!

SCOREBOARD

Calgary
Flames

4

Toronto
Maple Leafs

3

1
Dave Lowry -
Cage vet
bounces back
from rough
Edmonton start
with a goal
and an
assist.

2
Craig Conroy -
Huge goal in
the third
period started
the Flames
back to
victory.

3
Brian McCabe -
Two points,
and a very
memorable hit
on Blake
Sloan.

Trevor
Kidd was down
and out in the
corner during
play in the
second period,
but that stop
him from
getting up and
diving across
the crease to
foil a Chris
Drury wrap
around play
plus an Oleg
Saprykin
rebound.

Robyn
Regehr knocked
former Shark
captain Owen
Nolan to his
knees twice
with
thundering
checks in the
first period.
The blows
tossed gas on
an already
festering fire
between the
two players
dating back to
a Shark Flame
encounter two
weeks ago that
featured Nolan
crosschecked
to the ice by
the large
Flame
defender. (Honorable
mention? Denis
Gauthier on
Wade Belak,
Bryan McCabe
on Blake
Sloan)

Craig
Button visited
with Roger
Millions of
Sportsnet on
the Dean
McAmmond
situation.
"There
was an
unfortunate
circumstance
with the rules
around the
Dean McAmmond
acquisition.
Everyone wants
answers, I'm
confident that
we will, and
there will be
a lot more
information on
it.
Speculation
runs rampant,
we don't know
right
now." ...
When asked
about Regehr
in the first
period on Owen
Nolan. "A
guy like
Regehr is a
big strong
defenceman,
you need those
type of
players to be
successful, he
takes no
prisoners. A
big part of
what were
trying to do
here."
... On the
trade
deadline.
"Were
trying to
build a solid
team. We felt
we needed a
young
goaltender at
a time of his
career when
he's ready to
push though
and challenge.
We feel he has
some great
potential.
Mike Commodore
is a big
strong
defenceman,
and gives us a
look that we
don't
have."
... Can anyone
tell me why
Trevor Kidd
was out of his
net to
complain after
Iginla's tying
goal? Maybe
screening
isn't allowed
when Toronto
is the victim?
... The Flames
actually won
the battle of
the special
teams on the
night going 1
for 7 on the
powerplay and
killing all
five man
disadvantages.
... The teams
finished dead
locked in the
face off
circle with 41
wins apiece.
... Shean
Donovan's
first game
with the
Flames
featured 12+
minutes of ice
time, three
shots on goal
and a
-1.